Outsiders: Wanted
by JrBenson
Summary: WARNING: F/F   Rating: T/M  The following story contains mature subject matter and is suitable for adults only.  If you are easily offended by course language, or 'blue' humor, or by strong sexual content, please do not continue.  Reader discretion
1. Chapter 1

I've known about Grace Choi for long time now and I'm very much in love with the woman. I noticed that there wasn't a lot of fanfic for her here so I thought I'd try my hand at it. There aren't a lot of Grace Choi comics either but I'm still holding out hope for that. Also, I_ really_ hate the 'reboot' at DC. They've made a mockery out of everything.

I own nothing but my imagination.

Grace Choi/Other female character - A/U

**WARNING: F/F **

**Rating: T/M**

**The following story contains mature subject matter and is suitable for adults only.  
>If you are easily offended by course language, or 'blue' humor, or by strong sexual content, please do not continue.<strong>

_Reader discretion is advised_

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Chapter 1

Sitting in her too small of a chair and staring up at the monitors, Grace was carelessly bouncing a leg up and down and sighed loudly. She started to swivel in her seat from side to side, drumming her fingers on her thigh, not really knowing or caring whom she annoyed.

Lately she had a lot on her mind; it was something that she couldn't shake off anymore. It was wearing on her nerves. Normally, she'd just find the closest seedy bar and lose herself there but even she found that tiresome.

"Do you _mind_?"

Grace turned and arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"Do I care?" Grace shot back as she leaned against the armrest. Helena mumbled something unintelligible and swivelled in her seat and watched the computer screen. Grace just snickered under her breath. She honestly didn't have a problem with the woman, she just reminded Grace of a teacher she once had when she was young.

Grace felt the grin slowly fall from her face. She really had to get outta here and do something besides sitting around all night. Sitting back in her chair, her legs wide, Grace leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling and started to hum to herself.

_Fuck…I hate the night shift…_Grace thought to herself idly.

Helena cleared her throat and glared at Grace. The taller woman just smiled, crossed an ankle over a broad thigh and threw her hands behind her head, the muscles in her arms flexing, and threw Helena a wink.

Helena's eyes narrowed before she growled in frustration.

"Y'know, I know 5 year olds with better attention spans then you," Helena said in irritation. This just made Grace grin widely.

"By all means, go find yourself the company of the little rug rats. Personally, I don't mind some alone time with myself anyways. Long over due," Grace said lewdly and wiggled her eye brows for effect.

Helena made a face before she shot back, "What is your deal? Why do you have to be such an egotistical, vulgar jackass! Think that makes you tough?"

Grace set her foot down with a thud and sat up. She cocked her head to the side before she gave Helena a sexy smirk.

"For a teacher, you've got one _hell _of a potty mouth on you. What else are you hiding under all that?" Grace knew how to push people's buttons. Helena was no exception.

Helena threw her hands up in frustration. She was saved from replying when a beep from the computer screen caught her attention. Grace was next to her in a heart beat.

Grace leaned down, her arm right next to Helena's face. They both stared down at the screen as Arsenal's face popped up.

"_Hey you two. How are things there? You haven't killed each other yet?" _

Grace quickly glanced at Helena before replying.

"You just interrupted some bonding time," Grace said sarcastically. Arsenal just chuckled as Helena glared at the both of them.

"What do you want?" Helena said through gritted teeth.

Arsenal's expression changed quickly. Grace had a bad feeling about this.

"_It's __Anissa. Something's happened_…"

Grace and Helena stared at the screen in silence. Grace felt an emotion wash over her, something she hadn't felt in a very long time.

"What?" Helena whispered. Her eyes were wide with fear.

Arsenals voice and appearance grew sombre as he spoke.

"_We need to get the rest of the team together. Now." _

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"Jefferson's on the war path. We gotta find Anissa before he does something stupid," Arsenal said as he rushed around the room. Grace was uncharacteristically quiet. Roy stole secret glances at his friend.

He knew that Anissa was everything to Grace. Even after Anissa's return from her a coma, and their eventual break up, Anissa was Grace's world. There were no hard feelings; it was just one of those things that happened.

What surprised Roy the most was how well Grace had taken their breakup. No girly tears, no hysterical screaming…_hell not even one violent out burst_, thought Roy. Which in an odd ball way worried him.

"How could you let this happen?" Grace asked calmly. She stood in front of a monitor, just staring at nothing, her hands shoved into her pockets. Roy shook his head although Grace couldn't see.

"I don't know. One minute everything was going fine and then the next…," Roy trailed off as he shrugged his massive shoulders. He moved to stand next to Grace and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Grace just nodded and remained silent.

"_Arsenal! Have you found her?"_

Roy quickly turned and ran to the larger screen. Shift's face was solemn. He was a good man to have by your side when things went south. And he _cared_.

Roy shook his head. "No. Any trace on what happened?" Shift just shook his head. Indigo stood next to him.

"_No one is saying a thing. I am starting to worry, Roy," _said the android. In the background, Roy saw a group of thugs tied up like a Christmas present.

Nodding Roy just gave them both a tight smile.

"Thanks. Keep trying."

"_Do you need help with Jefferson?"_ Shift asked. Roy shook his head.

"Don't worry. We'll figure something out." He signed off before the screen went blank.

Helena and Starfire were busy with trying to pick up a signal from Thunder but they continued to run into dead ends. Both were slowly growing frustrated.

"Damn it," Helena mumbled as she came up empty. Again.

Roy looked over at Grace, who still hadn't moved, and sighed inwardly. He walked up next to her and spoke softly so the others wouldn't hear.

"Why don't you take off? Get some rest."

Grace shook her head.

"What am I supposed to do? I'll just do the same thing there that I'm doing here."

Roy didn't know what to say. She was right. When his daughter had been kidnapped, all he did was pace the floors, slowly going insane.

"Well if you're gonna stay, might as well make yourself useful," he replied trying to lift the mood. Grace just nodded and moved to a terminal and started working. Roy just sighed, his joke falling on deaf ears.

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It would be several hours before Nightwing had any sort of information.

"_Last known address leads to an old abandoned warehouse. The thing is its empty. Nothing's been touched."_ Nightwing said through the screen, his frustration at hitting another dead end clearly showing on his face.

Roy ran a hand over his tired face. This was getting harder by the minute. He mumbled his thanks then turned off the screen.

At some point during their search, Jade had wandered into the room. She was helping Starfire look for clues. Helena was out canvassing the area and calling in favours from friends.

Shift and Indigo, under Arsenal's orders, went after Black Lightning to try and stop him from destroying whatever got in his way.

Grace still hadn't said anything. And everyone was growing worried.

Soon, everyone agreed it would be better to follow up on leads rather then staying inside. They all went their way promising to check in every couple hours.

Arsenal was the last to go, but before he did, he glanced at his friend.

"Hey, you comin?" Roy asked quietly. Grace didn't look up from her screen but shook her head. Her chin was resting on her palm as she leafed through images on the monitor.

Roy walked back and stood next to her. She was looking through old photos of Anissa and herself. He never realized how much Anissa meant to Grace until now.

"She loved you," he stated softly as he sat down. Grace just cocked her head to the side and gave him a look her couldn't read.

"I don't think so," she replied sadly. She sighed and sat back against the chair and crossed her massive arms over her chest.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Grace shrugged, "What's to talk about?" She reached out and shut of the screen. Roy didn't know what to say. Apparently Grace picked up on his hesitation.

"Look. It happened. You can't change it. Just let it go, ok? I'm fine." Grace stood and jerked her head to the side.

"Let's go and find her."

With that, Roy mutely followed her out.

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"We were able to calm him down…for now," Shift said as his eyes followed Roy pace one end of the room.

Jefferson Pierce was a man never to be messed with when it came to his daughters. He had been strongly opposed to Anissa's need to follow in his footsteps. His urge to protect his little girl was always at the forefront. This was just another reason why he never wanted her to join the Outsiders.

It had taken almost 2 days but the team some how found Anissa. But what they found didn't make them feel any better. Nor did it make sense. No one could explain it but Anissa's powers seemed to mutate. Not even her own father could understand how Anissa's powers can change so much.

Roy stopped in front of Shift, his hands on his hips.

"But why didn't she say anything to _us_? Goddamnit! We're _supposed_ to be a freakin _team_, and she doesn't say anything to us?" Roy almost yelled. He couldn't believe that Anissa would do something so careless.

"And what was she supposed to say? _'Hey guys, guess what? I can disappear at any given moment!'_ I'd be pissing myself with fear. I don't blame her for running," Owen said sardonically. He was leaning against a wall, his arms crossed.

Roy spun on his heel about to lay out Owen when Dick and Shift stepped in between the two.

"Knock it off you guys. This isn't helping anyone," Dick said as he glanced at Grace. She was leaning a shoulder against the wall, next to Owen. She had been silent since the moment Jade found Anissa but everyone knew that she was wound up tighter then Big Ben.

Inhaling deeply, Grace knew that everyone expected her to do something. She pushed away from the wall and casually made her way to the end of the hall and stared at the door to the room where Anissa was in.

Her father was in there, along with her mother and sister. Grace was 100 percent sure that they were trying to convince their youngest daughter to get out of 'the business' before something happened to her as well.

Grace could hear the rest of the group speaking in hushed tones and she shook her head. She was growing tired and frustrated of all the sideway glances she got when she walked into the room. Turning on her heal and taking the few short steps into the waiting room, Grace stood silently, hands on her hips, and waited until everyone stopped and stared at her.

"I don't know what you're expecting from me, but I said I was _fine_. I can _hear_ you talking about me behind my back! If you've got something to say, then say it. Or shut the _hell _up!"

Grace could feel every ounce of her patience boil. She felt it slowly evaporate as she stood and waited for her 'team' to say something. She clenched and unclenched her jaw as she waited. After a moment of silence, she turned and stalked off down the hall.

"Well…_that_ went well," Shift said to no one in particular. Everyone gave him a look as he shrugged.

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Grace was far enough from the group that she finally let out a sigh and ran a hand through her choppy hair. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes.

She wasn't fine at all. She figured that if she repeated it enough she'd believe that she was. But faced with the reality that she could easily lose Anissa…_again_, she had to admit to herself that all was not fine.

When Anissa fell into a coma, it took all of Graces will power not to go off the deep end. She had visited her former girlfriend every day, for as long as the doctor's would allow her to. She left before her parents, more notably her father, stopped by.

Grace remembered when they first hooked up. How stressed Anissa was whenever the subject of her father would come up.

"_No!"_

"_Anissa, baby, you're gonna have to tell him eventually," Grace said softly. She had a massive arm wrapped gently around the shorter woman's waist. She softly caressed Anissa's exposed stomach and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder._

_Again Anissa shook her head, "absolutely not! Do you know what he'd do to you…to me if he found out that his little girl was…doin stuff with someone like…," Anissa faltered a bit. She knew she had said too much when she felt Grace stiffen behind her._

"_Grace, I didn't mean-"_

"'_Someone like me', isn't that what you were goin to say?" Grace was now sitting up. Anissa shivered at the loss of Grace's body heat. She reached out when Grace started to reach for her cloths which were scattered all over the floor. _

"_Grace! No! That's not what I meant," Anissa begged. She clutched the bed sheet close to her chest as scrambled off the bed. _

_Grace had yanked on her top and was in the middle of shoving on her cargo pants. She snapped her head around, angry eyes glaring at the younger woman._

"_WHAT! WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU MEAN?" Grace demanded. Anissa reached out cautiously and laid a hand on Graces chest. _

"_My dad's already met you, remember. He wasn't exactly too thrilled to have a 'tattooed punk rocker' watching my back," Anissa said softly. She smiled sheepishly as if trying to soften the words._

_Grace clenched her jaw hard, fighting the urge to blurt something out that might ruin her chances with Anissa. Inhaling deeply, Grace looked away._

"_So what am I then?" She asked quietly. _

"_Grace-"_

"_Am I gonna be your dirty little secret?" Grace continued. Anissa swallowed when she saw the look in Grace's eyes. She backed up as Grace took a step forward. Grace tossed her pants to the side as she continued to advance. _

"_Daddy's little girl has a dirty little secret, doesn't she?" Grace now had Anissa sandwiched between a wall and her body. The shorter woman tried to even her breathing but it was useless when she felt a muscled thigh slide between her legs. _

_Grace saw the slightest reaction and her smile became predatory. Grace reached down and clasped both of Anissa's hands in her own and raised them above Anissa's head and held her there. _

"_Can't let daddy know what his little girl does behind closed doors now, can we? How dirty she can get," Grace said as she grinded herself against a pinned Anissa. The other woman groaned as she felt herself getting wet…again._

_Grace gave Anissa a cocky smirk and slid a hand in between the two of them. _

"_Shit…Grace!" Anissa felt her breath quicken. Grace said nothing more as she dragged Anissa back to the bed and none to gently shoved her back. Climbing on top but holding her upper body on her forearms, Grace began a slow grind against Anissa until she felt the woman beneath her move in time with her._

_Grace lowered her head and clamped her lips against Anissa's as she did a lot more 'dirty' things to her, causing Anissa to cry out several times._

_It would be much later when the two finished their conversation…_

Grace shook her head as she came to a stop. That was always a sore spot for them. Grace understood Anissa's hesitation but she had hoped that in time Anissa would somehow tell her father about them. Although Grace had a suspicion that Mr. Pierce knew – he was a smart man.

Grace had to admit, she wasn't exactly the kind of person you're parents wanted to meet – rough around the edges and all. But she did have her moments, as Anissa would say. Grace just didn't understand _why_ Anissa couldn't…or _wouldn't_ tell him.

She sighed. There was no use on dwelling on something that was pointless now.

She noticed that she had been wandering farther down the hall then she expected. She looked a bit surprised as she realized she stopped in front of a little chapel.

She gave it a once over and was tempted to walk in but she couldn't bring herself to do it…yet. Shaking her head, she turned on her heel and quietly made her way back to where the others were.

When everyone saw her, they wisely kept quiet. They all sat there until Mr. Pierce emerged from Anissa's room. The small group all stood and gathered around. They all took in Jefferson's tired face and felt a pang of guilt shoot through them.

"There's still no change," he said tiredly. Everyone murmured their worries to the other. Grace swallowed the lump that was in her throat and had to look away for a moment. When she turned back, Jefferson was staring at her with an odd look.

Before Grace or Jefferson could do anything, Roy was speaking.

"Let's all go home. There's not much we can do right now," he said softly. Everyone else agreed and started to file out, each member pausing to give a supportive hand on his shoulder. The last person to leave was Grace.

"Will you let me know if anything changes?" Grace asked softly. Jefferson was quiet as he considered the question. After a minute he nodded slowly.

"You were good for her," he said all of a sudden. Grace's head snapped up stunned.

Jefferson just turned on his heel and slipped back into the room leaving Grace to wonder what he meant.

Grace went and stood by the door and looked into the small window. Jefferson, his ex-wife and their youngest were standing around the bed. And there was Anissa, lying on the bed looking weak. Grace felt a little awkward watching; she never experienced that kind of thing before. _Love_. _Family. _It was foreign to her.

She had been given up as a baby only to be shuffled around from one foster home to the next. She'd been in and out of so many homes she'd need to use an abacus to count them all. Backing away carefully and with out a look back, Grace made her way out of the hospital.

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"So what are you gonna do dad? Lock me in here for the rest of my life?"

Anissa hated being treated like a child. And her father knew how to make her feel like one. Jefferson Pierce had never wanted his two daughters to get involved with the whole super hero thing. He went so far to hide his own super powers from them.

"_Niecy_, don't do this. _Please_," the big man begged. Anissa was tired of this. Her whole life she had to prove something to her father. To everyone. And she was sick of it.

"Dad, if you think for one second that I'm just gonna sto-"

"Baby, listen to your father," Lynn requested gently. She laid a hand on their daughter's shoulder and gave it a loving squeeze.

"But mom-"

"Your father's right. Until we can figure out what is going on with you, you can't rejoin your team. It's too dangerous. Not only for yourself, but for the one's you're trying to protect," Lynn pleaded.

Sighing, Anissa nodded. "So…what do we do now?" She asked worriedly. No one had an answer.

Jennifer looked around and shrugged.

"I could always fill in for yo-"

"NO!"

Jennifer jumped a little. All three heads turned and glared at her. Again, Jennifer shrugged.

"Hey, can't blame me for trying," she said with a grin. Lynn and Anissa giggled while their father continued to glare.

-END-

How was that? Do you like it? Or should I just give up now? Please let me know…Cheers!


	2. Chapter 2

I'm slowly getting everytihing up and running. I am so delighted to get this out of the bag. I've had bad writer's block for this one for some time. I can now, with confidence, say that the ball is officially rolling for this story. I've got a lot of ideas popping up in my head as I type. Enjoy!

I own nothing exept my original mind!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

"The doctors want to keep Anissa in the hospital for another week or so. Do more testing," Mr. Peirce stated to the small group. He particularly paid close attention to Grace's reaction.

Grace, for her part, kept her mouth shut and her opinion's to a minimum. She was leaning against a wall with her gaze to the floor. The only reaction Jefferson could see was the clenching of muscles every now and then.

Roy and Dick shared a look. The others just sat silently.

"I'll see if Helena wants to stay on for a little while longer," Dick said softly. Jefferson cleared his throat.

"I'm standin _right_ here. I'm capable of running this _team_." Everyone looked a little taken back by Jefferson's tone.

"Uh, with all due respect sir, I don't think-" Roy was cut off by the big man's glare.

"With all due respect _son_, I've been doing this longer then all of you combined. I suggest _you_ step aside." Jefferson growled. Just then Grace shoved herself away from the wall and strode out of the room.

"Where are_ you_ going?" Jade asked. All eyes turned and stared at Grace.

"When you've figured out who the hell top dog is, come find me." And with that she was gone. Jade sighed. This was getting out of hand.

Turning to the bickering group Jade could feel her frustrations growing. She understood Grace's lack of commitment and interest with them. Shaking her head she cleared her throat and at the top of her lungs she got everyone's attention.

"QUIET!"

Everyone turned their surprised gazes at Jade. Clearing her throat again she smiled softly.

"_I'll_ be taking over. And the first order of business is figuring out what happened to Anissa."

Jefferson folded his arms over his chest and glared. Dick, Roy, Shift and Indigo looked a little nervous. Starfire just waited.

"Good. Anyone have any other problems – _deal with it_. We have to get Anissa and Grace back here. Got it? That's our top priority." Everyone mumbled but all agreed.

Jade sighed internally.

"Next thing on the list: Dick, get Helena back here and tell her we need her help for the time being."

Dick nodded and left the room.

"The rest of you, let's get to work. The sooner we figure out what happened, the sooner we can get the team back. And NO arguing!"

With that, Jade hoped onto a computer and begun typing. The others quietly followed suit.

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The incisive knocking was grinding on her nerves. Grace did everything she could to ignore it.

"_Grace…c'mon…I know you're in there…."_ Grace rolled her eyes at Jade's voice. She just continued to flip the channels trying desperately not to throw the remote at the door.

"_Fuck's sakes! Grace just open god damn door! I swear I will fucking break down this door! Now open it!"_

Grace chuckled as she shook her head. She had to hand it to Jade – the little green girl had balls. Sighing, Grace tossed the remote onto the small coffee table and got up. The knocking didn't let up until she finally opened it. Jade looked slightly annoyed and relived all at once.

"What took you so long?"

Grace just smirked as she moved to the side to let Jade in. The shorter woman walked in and turned around as she watched Grace shut the door. Jade only realized that Grace only had on a tank top and her underpants.

"Well hello good lookin," Grace said in way of hello and Jade rolled her eyes. She sauntered to the kitchenette and pulled open the fridge and grabbed a beer. She held it out to her little green visitor, who declined the offer, then shrugged as she pulled the cap of and took a huge gulp.

Jade pursed her lips and waited for a minute before gathering enough courage.

"Is everything alright?" She asked a little nervously. She heard Grace sigh and quickly added, "I know, you said everything was fine. But…are you _ok_? Be honest with me."

Grace gave her a look.

"Why do you care?" Grace replied sarcastically. The big woman crossed the kitchen to the living room and sat down. She took another swig of her beer and stared at the TV screen. Jade observed the tall woman. She noticed that Grace, despite her foul mood and biting personality, she was an ok person to be around…well when Grace _felt _like it.

Jade made her way to the couch and sat next to Grace. She chose her words carefully.

"Because, no matter what's happened…no matter how much you grind on _everyone_ else's nerves, you're still apart of this team," Jade said gently. "You're a really big part of this team Grace. No pun intended. Roy wouldn't have picked you for this group if he didn't think you weren't good enough."

Jade stole a glance at the other woman. Grace was staring at the beer in her hand and absently picking at the label. After a moment, Grace looked over at Jade, a smirk on her face.

"Nah, he wanted me around so he could have a good lay if it didn't work out with Dick."

Throwing up her hands in disgust, Jade shot up off the couch.

"Ugh! Grace! That's it! I tried to be nice – which you obviously don't appreciate – but you know what? Ah…fuck it! You wouldn't even care!" Jade stormed over to the front door ready to leave.

"Wait," Grace said quietly. Jade turned around and saw that Grace was still sitting but she had a sad look on her face.

Grace ran a hand through her hair then rubbed her face tiredly.

"I'm sorry, ok. I…I appreciate…thanks for coming," Grace mumbled dejectedly. Jade just stared at her.

"Look, if you need some time-"

"Yeah, that be nice."

Nodding, Jade smiled sadly at Grace.

"Ok. Take your time – we'll be here…always…"

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_Damn it! Maybe this wasn't such a great idea…_Grace thought for the umpteenth time. After the visit from Jade almost a week ago, Grace had planned on figuring out what she wanted to do; where she wanted to go. But like all of Grace's plans, this one started out great but soon was getting tiresome.

"Fuck! I suck at this!" The big woman growled. She got up and trudged to the window. Opening it, she slipped out onto the fire escape and just watched the people below.

"I'm outta here," Grace muttered as she wandered back into her apartment. She grabbed her jacket, keys and wallet as she sauntered out the door. She wanted to see just how much trouble she could get into.

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Grace walked around town aimlessly. She wandered in and out of stores, just looking around. She was getting really board.

Grace rubbed a hand over tired eyes. She continued to walk through out the city; exploring. She contemplated going to Chaney's in Metropolis but that seemed to turn her off even more.

She continued to walk. Grace didn't realize she had walked through a park. She blinked back her surprise but didn't leave. She decided to just sit back and watch the kids run around while their parents tried to keep up.

Grace didn't know how long she had been watching; the only indicator was how empty the park was. It was almost sundown and everyone had left. The only sign of life was a group of teens near the farthest end of the park.

Grace stood and stretched. She stifled a yawn as she headed for the exit. She didn't notice what the group of teens were doing until she was passing by them. Grace was still a good 100 feet away but her Meta hearing picked up the conversation.

"_Do it, dude!" _One of the kids demanded. A boy, not much older then 18 stood hesitantly. He was staring at another kid who looked to be around his age. Two older boys were holding one of the boys arms while trying to push him to his knees. They were egging the other boy on.

The boy caught in the middle looked up.

"_Jason! Bro! Dude, don't do this! Please!" _The boy begged as the two older boys added more pressure to his arms and shoulders. The ring leader leaned in close to Jason and whispered something in his ear.

"_You know what you gotta do, man. Just do it!" _Jason looked at him and swallowed. He pulled down a ski his ski mask and mumbled to the kneeling boy.

"_I'm sorry, Spencer." _Jason took a couple of steps back before he launched his knee into the boy's face.

His head flying back and with the taste of blood in his mouth, Spencer pleaded with his childhood friend.

"_Jason! Please! Don't do this! Come on man!"_ Spencer begged. The three other boys just laughed and egged Jason on to do it again. Jason took his fist and rammed it in Spencer's stomach. The boy lurched forward as he choked for air.

It took a moment for Spencer to regain some of his awareness and he struggled to get back up on his feet. The two boys holding him only pushed him back down again.

"_Jason! Stop! Jason!" _Spencer tried again only to have his plea's met with a fist to his face. Then another, and another. Soon Spencer could no longer feel anything except the dull thud of each blow as they connected.

Spencer's body soon fell limp.

Grace couldn't take much more and she stormed over.

"HEY! WANNA TRY SOME OF THAT ON ME!?" Grace bellowed. She cracked her knuckles for good measure.

All four boys turned and for a moment looked scared. The master mind behind it all shook his head before he took off running. The two boys that held Spencer's body did the same, dropping Spencer in the process.

Jason looked conflicted. He glanced at his friend lying on the ground then back at the large woman.

"Go ahead coward. Beat it! Or I'll beat you!" Grace sneered. Jason shot out of the park as fast as he could. Grace stood there watching the punks run off before she turned and hurried to where Spencer was on his knees spitting out blood from his mouth.

"Hey kid, you alright?" She asked gently. She hunkered down just so the kid wouldn't have to be too frightened of her. She noticed that he was looking a little paler then before and reached out slowly to place a big hand on his shoulder.

Spencer shuddered but didn't pull away. He just wiped his lower lip and winced as he felt the sting.

"I'm…I'm ok. Thanks," he mumbled a little embarrassed.

"What was that about?"

Spencer just shrugged. "Nothin," he mumbled again. Grace sighed heavily and shook her head.

"Have it your way kid," Grace said softly. Spencer struggled to stand and Grace gently helped the boy to his feet.

"So…you gotta place to go to?" Spencer nodded but quickly regretted it and winced. His head felt like it was going to explode. Grace saw the boy's reaction and quickly picked Spencer up and began to walk.

"Where to kid?" She said softly, seeing Spencer grab his head. He was silent for a moment and Grace started to get a little worried.

"Hey…you ok?" Spencer still didn't say a word. He's eyes were shut and had a painful look on his face. "I'll take you to a walk – in or something, ok?" With eyes still closed, Spencer mumbled the directions to his house.

"I jus…live down the…the block," Spencer stuttered. Grace stopped walking and stared at the boy.

"Kid, you're slurring your words and holdin' your head like it might fall off. You gotta let a doc check you out. Don't mess with head injuries," Grace said softly. She was really concerned about him.

"Please…just take me home," Spencer whimpered. Grace sighed and shook her head in disbelief.

"Fine. Is there anyone home, at least?" Grace resumed her trek towards Spencer's home. She really didn't want to take him. She knew head injuries were nothing to joke about.

"Yeah." Spencer sounded small.

_Maybe I should just take him to a hospital…_Grace thought. But the house was now in sight. She glanced at the boy and smiled. Spencer had his head in the crook of her neck, eyes still closed.

"Hey, wake up. You can't fall asleep. Especially with head damage," Grace said as they neared the house. Spencer moaned and touched the side of his head.

"Not sleeping," Spencer said, his voice tinged with sleep. Grace smiled gently at him.

"Sure." As they got closer, Grace noticed a plaque on the side of the door.

_METROPOLIS BOYS & GIRLS HOME_

Grace stopped dead in her tracks. She felt the blood drain from her face as she read the words. She looked down at Spencer who seemed to be fighting off sleep and felt her heart break.

The boy was an orphan just like she was…_is_. Grace felt the familiar pain growing inside her but quickly shoved it away. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"We're here," she said roughly. Shaking her head to clear her mind she focused on Spencer.

The boy rubbed his eyes and smiled tiredly. Grace climbed the steps slowly mentally preparing herself. Spencer reached out and rang the doorbell. Instantly the inside of the house came alive.

They both heard muffled laughter then a stern voice before the door swung open. Their stood an old woman with greyish hair and a gentle face. Her hands were on her hips as she turned and hollered at the group of children giggling and laughing.

"Don't make me ask you again! Now get!" The old woman bellowed playfully. The younger children just squealed and ran in various directions. The old woman was laughing softly to herself when she turned around once more.

"How can I hel - Spencer! Dear Lord!" She stepped back to let the woman and Spencer in. "What on earth happened?"

Grace looked at the kid but he was going to say anything.

"Um…I just found him like this. In the park not to far from here," Grace replied. She watched as the old woman's face changed as she glared at the boy.

"It was those damn boys, wasn't it? I told you not to hang around them. They're trouble, the whole lot of 'em." Then as if remembering her manners, the old woman stood back and let Grace come in.

"You can set him in here," the old woman said as she led Grace into the family room. Grace laid the boy on the couch and stood to the side and watched the old woman come back into the room with a first aid kit.

The old woman took one good look at Grace.

"Lord, you are a tall one," she said with a gentle smile. Grace couldn't help but smile as she nodded. "Go on, have a seat. Don't be shy," the old woman said as she turned to Spencer.

"Now let's take a look at ya," the old woman said softly. She gently lifted Spencer's head and thoroughly examined the boy.

"I'm sorry," the old woman murmured as Spencer inhaled sharply and winced painfully. When the old woman was finally done, she took out a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and soaked a couple of cotton balls.

"This might sting a little," she warned Spencer. Again, the boy inhaled sharply and tried not to cry out in pain. The old woman blew on the area that she applied the alcohol trying to ease the sting a little. Grace sat fascinated by the gentle care the old woman gave.

"Now, I'm gonna wake you up every hour. Just so I know you're still with us," the old woman told Spencer. The boy nodded as best he could and fell asleep quickly.

Sighing the old woman stood. She noticed Grace staring and smiled softly.

"You learn a thing or two rasin' this many kids. Although, my years as a nurse help too," the old woman said with a light laugh. Grace nodded.

"Oh dear!" The woman gasped. "I'm so sorry…where are my manners? I'm Althea, the kids call me granny," Althea said with a huge smile.

"Grace Choi."

Althea nodded as she motioned for Grace to follow her into the kitchen.

"Thank you very much Grace. Lord knows what would have happened to him," Althea said quietly as she begun pulling two plates out.

"Oh…uh…that's alright Althea. I should be going," Grace quickly said when she realized what Althea was doing. Althea turned around and placed one hand on her hip and the other wagged a finger at Grace.

"I won't hear of it! Young lady sit yourself down at that table!" Startled, Grace did as she was told and slid into the chair Althea indicated.

"Yes ma'am," Grace mumbled. Althea served up some soup and a sandwich and placed it in front of Grace.

"Finish that all up, honey," Althea said in a maternally voice. Grace smirked as she nodded. Althea served herself some soup as well and sat down in front of Grace. The two ate in silence for a moment before Grace got curious.

"You run this place by yourself?" Grace politely wiped her mouth with a napkin afraid that Althea would get mad at her if she used her hand. She picked up her plates and placed it in the sink then returned to her seat.

Althea shook her head as she laughed.

"Dear lord no! Well, at least during the day. My daughter and I run it, speaking of which, she should be home soon," Althea said as she glanced at the time on the stove. As if on cue, a car rolled up into the drive way.

"I better wake Spencer up. My daughter is going to want to talk to him." And with that, Althea hurried into the family room leaving Grace standing in the kitchen.

"MA! I'M HOME!" A thick New York accent was heard from the front door.

Grace wandered back into the family room in time to see Althea sigh and shake her head.

"I told you not to scream like that!" Althea reminded her daughter. Grace took one look at the young woman and felt her stomach do a loop. But before she had a chance to analyze what she was feeling, Althea was making introductions.

"Grace I'd like you to met my daughter Emily," Althea motioned between the two women as she smiled. "Emily, this is Grace Choi." Grace stuck her hand out but Emily just looked up at her, suspicion written all over her face.

Althea elbowed her daughter and murmured through clenched teeth, "be polite dear." Emily cleared her throat and stuck her hand out.

_Her hands are callused yet so gentle…_Emily thought. Just as quickly, Emily shook that thought away.

"It's a pleasure," Grace said with a smiled and did her best not to lay on the charm too thick. _God, her hands are so soft but…they feel so strong…_Grace thought.

Althea looked between the two and smiled. A tiny whimper from behind her had Althea forgetting the two women. She spun around and quickly knelt down by the couch and felt Spencer's forehead. She sighed in relief as the boy didn't feel warm to the touch.

Emily's head snapped around and she took in Spencer's state. Her eyes widened as she gently pushed her mother out of the way and got a good look at the boy.

"What happened?" Emily almost screamed at her mother. Before her mother could explain, Grace cleared her throat.

"Some boys were doing a real good number on him," Grace supplied evenly. Emily pursed her lips as she turned and examined the boy again. She whispered to him and he nodded almost painfully.

Emily turned around again and glared at Grace.

"Why the _hell_ didn't you take him to the hospital?" Her voice laced with accusation. Grace bit her tongue from snapping back. She knew Emily was worried but that didn't mean Grace was gonna take the piss.

"Look lady, I wanted to! But the kid begged me to take him here instead," Grace shot back. Althea stood between the two and firmly put her foot down.

"That's enough! Both of you! We're all worried about Spencer so concentrate on that!" Althea stood there, her hands on her hips and glared at them both.

Grace nodded, and mumbled an apology. Althea waited for Emily to do the same but the woman left the room in and headed for the half bath for the first aid kit.

"I'm sorry Grace. My detective daughter can be…stubborn some times," Althea said quietly.

"Detective, huh?" Grace said with a smirk. "Nice."

Althea smiled then stormed off to speak with Emily. Grace just watched the old woman go then turned her attention to Spencer.

Getting down on one knee, Grace got as close as she could and brushed the hair out from the boy's eyes.

"Hey…how you feelin'?" She asked softly. Spencer winced slightly but managed to shrug his shoulders.

"Better then before," he whispered. Grace smiled.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Spencer nodded as best he could.

Emily and Althea walked down the hall and stopped at the site before them. Althea smiled as Emily felt her heart quickened. They both watched as Grace was hunkered down next to Spencer, quietly speaking to him.

Emily felt her stomach do somersaults as she watched Grace gently brush the hair from the boy's forehead. Emily almost dropped the first aid kit when she saw Grace smile. It made the other woman look…beautiful.

Grace pushed herself back up and Emily almost passed out. The sight of those large muscles as they flexed almost did Emily's head in. Althea watched her daughter's reaction and elbowed her in the stomach. Emily cleared her head and blinked several times before she spoke.

"Is he…," Emily squeaked and quickly cleared her throat. She could feel her face turning red. "Is he ok?" She asked once more.

Grace's brows furrowed. She had no idea what just happened.

"Yeah, he's ok…for now," Grace replied as she shoved her hands into her pockets. "Look, I'm gonna get going." Grace jerked her thumb over her shoulder as she shuffled her feet.

"Oh…alright," Emily immediately handed off the first aid kit to her mother as she motioned for Grace to follow.

Standing by the door way, Emily finally noticed just how…large, Grace really was. Emily was tall, at least 5'8, but Grace was…_big_. And the tattoos…Emily wasn't one for tattoos but goodness gracious…Grace had them all over and she very much approved.

Again, Emily felt herself blush.

"So…"

Grace looked up and waited. She bit her lower lip before she spoke.

"Let me know how he is?" Grace asked quietly. She herself wasn't the type to really care but for some reason, she cared for_ this_ kid.

"Of course."

There was an awkward pause then Emily and Grace both reached out for the door knob. They stared at each other for a second before Emily was the first to snap out of the haze. She quickly turned the handle and opened up the door.

Grace smiled tightly and waved as she bent slightly to exit the house. She was down the steps with in seconds when Emily called her back.

"Wait! How am I…how are we supposed to get in touch with you?" Emily quickly corrected herself. She hoped that Grace didn't catch on.

Grace smiled as she climbed the small steps. She remained just on step below so she wasn't towering over Emily. Grace patted her pockets and frowned.

"Sorry, I don't have any paper on me," Grace said a little disappointed.

"I'll be right back!" Emily ran a couple of steps back inside and bent down to open up her duffle bag. Grace really tried not to look but couldn't help herself. She cocked her head to the side and took in the shapely form of Emily's buttocks.

Grace could feel her stomach clench for those few seconds and she had to bite the inside of her lips to keep from moaning. She pulled it together just in time since Emily straightened up and held up a pad and pen triumphantly.

"I love being prepared," Emily teased as she handed Grace her pad. Grace could only nod since she lost her motor skills a moment ago.

Emily watched, completely fascinated by the twitch of muscles in Grace's arms as she jotted down her number. Emily just wanted to reach out and touch them to see how they felt under her fingers…

"Emily!"

Emily jumped a little at her name being called. She blinked and realized that she had been staring. A deep blush crept up her neck and cheeks. Grace smirked and handed back the note pad and pen.

"Thank you," Emily crocked but quickly cleared her throat. She was about to turn and shut the door when Grace stopped her.

"So how am I supposed to get in touch with you detective…," Grace trailed off since she didn't know Emily's last name.

Emily turned back around and noticed that Grace had both hands against either side of the door frame, and was leaning in slightly. The taller woman had a smile on that Emily could only describe as _sexy_.

Emily just stared for second before she found her voice again.

"Kilmartin. Detective Kilmartin," Emily supplied. "And I'll find _you_ if I need you," she finished confidently but almost winced at the poor choice of words. Grace didn't mind, she just grinned and threw a wink at the detective.

"You do that _detective_," Grace replied with a teasing smile. With a final wave, Grace turned and walked back down the road. Emily quickly closed the door, her hands and knees shaking uncontrollably.

She sighed and leaned against the door.

"She was nice," Althea popped her head in from the other room. Emily, startled for a second time, just rolled her eyes.

"Ma!"

Althea just shrugged and tried to look innocent. "What?"

The two women looked over at Spencer and worry sank in once more.

"We really have to get him to see a doctor," Emily said softly. Spencer had fallen asleep once again. Emily sat on the edge of the couch and lovingly caressed the boy's head. Althea nodded and sat next to her daughter.

**GCGCGCGCGCGC**

Grace finally arrived home. She couldn't help but smile the whole time as she walked through the streets. Throwing her keys onto the counter and taking off her jacket then tossing it onto the bed, Grace threw herself onto the couch.

Putting her feet up onto the coffee table and grabbing the remote, Grace flipped through the channels, not really watching. Her mind kept going back to Emily. _Detective Emily…_

Her grin faded as she thought of Spencer. Poor kid didn't even stand a chance with those boys. And she still didn't know why they had ganged up on the kid. Grace cracked her knuckles as she thought about those boys. She wanted to pay them a visit and make sure they didn't hurt Spencer again.

More importantly, if those punks decide to even the score for what she did in the park, they'd most definitely go after Emily. Grace felt herself go numb.

She wasn't about to let those thugs hurt Emily. She'd just have to keep a closer eye on her…and those kids…


End file.
